NATPE makes its move

Relocating to Miami seems to have reinvigorated the NATPE Market and Conference, according to its organizers.

Relocating to Miami seems to have reinvigorated the NATPE Market and Conference, according to its organizers.

“Honestly, instead of looking at it as the 48th edition of the NATPE Market and Conference, we’re looking at it as the first edition,” said Rick Feldman, NATPE president and CEO, during a media conference call held just prior to the holiday break. Over 500 buyers from over 40 countries are registered to attend, and 250 companies, including between 15 and 20 new companies, will be exhibiting. While those exhibitor numbers are roughly in line with last year’s, importantly, all major Hollywood studios have confirmed their attendance, said Feldman.

In terms of attendance, pacing of registrations “roughly suggests 5,000″ delegates, a NATPE spokesperson confirmed two weeks before the event, which is in line with last year’s numbers. Feldman said that a “wider berth” of European companies would be making the trip to Miami, while not necessarily sending the numbers they’d send to the MIP conferences. Those who are making the trip will have more time to network, said Feldman, as event organizers have whittled the conference content by close to a third to accommodate more poolside meetings.

This won’t be the first time NATPE’s hit Miami, as the market and conference graced its shores during the Seventies, Eighties and Nineties. But Feldman maintains the move (which will also extend to next year’s edition) has definitely been the shot in the arm needed for the event.

“From all the evidence, we have a new lease on life here and are doing everything in our power to ensure that when people leave here, they feel the money and time was well spent,” he said.

About The Author

Daniele Alcinii is a news editor at realscreen, the leading international publisher of non-fiction film and television industry news and content. He joined the RS team in 2015 with experience in journalism following a stint out west with Sun Media in Edmonton's Capital Region, and with communications work in Melbourne, Australia and Toronto. You can follow him on Twitter at @danielealcinii.